Watchuseek Blog

Monday, April 9, 2012

Romain Jerome has an abiding fascination with the Titanic, so this, the centenary of the tragic event, is an important year for hm.

Already noted for bringing out the Titanic-DNA Steampunk watch collection, he has just released two limited edition chronographs to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the legendary ship.

The Titanic, a luxury ocean going liner, set sail on its ill-fated voyage across the Atlantic and famously met with disaster on April 15th 1912.

As moviegoers across the world are queuing up to see the 3-D re-release of James Cameron’s 1997 smash-hit film Titanic, Swiss watchmaker Romain Jerome has busied himself with the development of two limited-edition anniversary wristwatches.

The two new models, each limited to 100 pieces, are the Steampunk Auto 100th Anniversary and the Steampunk Chrono 100th Anniversary. Each is housed in a capacious 50-mm-diameter case featuring the signature rough, raw finishes that are a hallmark of the brand’s very first collection, called Titanic-DNA.

The rusted steel bezel is a combination of two metals separated by a century of time. Rust was once an enemy of the industry, but now RJ has devised a unique process to stop the rust corroding any further, a first in the watchmaking industry. The bezel is of oxidised and stabilised steel, created by a fusion of metal from the underwater wreck of the Titanic and another metal provided by the Harland & Wolff shipyards, where the ship was built.

For these anniversary pieces, the mobile propellers reminiscent of those on the ship, have been oxidised and stabilised by the same process used for the bezels.

The models feature engraved casebacks with a medallion commemorating the centennial of the Titanic’s launch date.